I visited a well-known video game company's HQ this evening. They were kind enough to give my aunt's group of southern California cartoonists a tour. They demonstrated the cutting-edge technology used to create those massive multiplayer online RPGs that currently have millions of users playing them at any one time. I won't (and legally can't) discuss the games or other amazing-looking projects they're working on now, which is also why I'm being cautious about the company name itself. But I can tell you one general tidbit which caught me by surprise: the equipment they use to create the graphics for their games is all stuff ordinary computer users can purchase, if we were willing to spend as much on software as some people do for high-end plasma TVs.
Namely:
1. Maya - 3D graphics rendering program. You can download a free "learning edition" on Autodesk's Website, although that puts a watermark on renders, and the "Complete" version costs nearly $2000. No wonder.
2. Photoshop (full version) - for textures, concept art, digital cards for CCGs.
3. Wacom drawing tablet. Okay, so they have the fancy-schmancy version that's got the monitor built right into the tablet (drool), but hey, it's Wacom!
And they were using PCs, not any specialized, dedicated computer.
Obviously, hardware and software in this industry change rapidly, but the above tools are established applications and hardware, ones we all have access to.
What I'm getting at is that if you're dreaming of getting a job as an animator/artist in the gaming industry, you can start by teaching yourself 3D animation and graphics using things available to the average student. No, you can't shell out a thousand bucks or so for a high-end Wacom drawing tablet, and you can't buy the full version of Maya, but you could use and master cheaper programs like Blender, Terragen and Bryce, plus the Personal Learning Edition of Maya. Also, you should learn to get the most of of Photoshop. Those will teach you most of the skills you need to go pro.
